The 2008 United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Awards season is concluded with Shawna winning several national awards aboard Come On III and Rigo (owned by Tonya Rowe):

Rigo also won the USDF Region 3 Championships for the southeastern United States at Second Level.

Shawna and the horses she has competed since returning from Europe have accomplished much in the last two years:

• 76 wins with an average score of 70.3% on 4 different horses.
• 9 International (CDI) wins with an average score in CDI classes of 70.1%.
• 8-time USDF Regional Champion on 3 different horses.
• 2007 USEF National Developing Horse Championships - Reserve Champion.
• 2008 USEF National Intermediare I Championships - Third Place.

Shawna is now in Wellington for the Winter season. Come On III has moved up to Intermediare II and will soon start his Grand Prix career. After two impressive years at First and Second Level, Tonya Rowe’s Rigo will continued to compete at Third Level and Fourth soon thereafter. Kathleen Broughan’s Richman is demonstrating enormous potential and will be showing Fourth Level and Prix St. Georges.

Shawna added to her impressive list of top national rankings by claiming first in the USDF Dressage Horse of the Year standings with Tonya Rowe’s Rigo. The pair is currently in first place at Second Level with a median score of 71.722%.

Shawna currently owns first place in the USDF standings in eight categories:

* North American Danish Warmblood Association (USDF All-Breed Award Standings)

Shawna and Come On III brought home third place at the USEF National Intermediare I Championships in San Juan Capistrano, CA on June 27-29. Shawna and Come On III placed second, second and fifth in the Prix St. Georges, Intermediare I and Intermediare I Freestyle classes respectively. The pair scored in the 70’s all three days.

The event was a showcase of the top Intermediare I teams in the country. Shawna and Come On III were in the thick of a three-way race for the championships all three days with Olympians Michelle Gibson and Steffen Peters. It was great competition and an excellent experience for Come On III that clearly established the pair as a team to watch.

Shawna thanks the many sponsors, friends and family who helped her and Come On III reach the Championships. It was a wonderful outpouring of support that made the trip possible.

Jeff and Shereen Fuqua, owners of Collecting Gaits Farm, recently provided sponsorship to Shawna and Come On III to help them reach the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions in San Juan Capistrano on June 27-29, 2008.

Shawna and Come On III enter the Championships ranked third in the USEF Intermediare I Championship rankings. They are also currently first in the USDF Dressage Horse of the Year standings at the Prix St. Georges, Intermediare I and Intermediare I Freestyle levels. The costs of transportation from Aiken, SC to the Championships in California are significant, and the Fuqua’s generous sponsorship goes a long way toward funding the trip.

Shereen Fuqua, commenting on the sponsorship, said: “For several years, Collecting Gaits Farm is committed to sponsoring the sport of dressage through various show programs and up and coming professional riders. Last year, we were surprised not to see Shawna and Come On III at Gladstone. Jeff and I have been following the pair for the last three years. We have not met Shawna, but saw an article that she needed sponsors to make it to California. So I called her up and offered to help. We wish Shawna and all the finalists the best of luck in 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm Festival of Champions!”

Shawna was understandably excited about the sponsorship: “I was excited and almost brought to tears when I received a call out of the blue from the Fuqua’s about my challenge in funding the trip to the Championships. Collecting Gaits Farm has been an incredible force in promoting our sport through their sponsorship of events and riders. Almost every week you read about something they do to advance our sport. It touched me deeply that they would help me to reach the Championships. We all work very hard in this sport and it’s special when someone takes notice of your accomplishments.”

Shawna and Tonya Rowe’s Rigo completed their 8th required score for the USDF Dressage Horse of the Year standings at Aiken’s “Beat the Heat” show this weekend. Their score of 73.095% in the Second Level Test 4 raised their median for the year to 71.723%, more than three percent ahead of the current leader in the standings. Because of a lag in the USDF score posting process, Rigo’s standing in the rankings won’t be official for 3-4 weeks.

Shawna is currently ranked first with Come On III in the Prix St. Georges, Intermediare I, Intermediare I Musical Freestyle and Intermediare I Musical Freestyle Challenge. Assuming Rigo’s leading median score holds up until his ranking is official, Shawna will be ranked first in five different classes and on two different horses.

Shawna and Rigo also posted their second required ride to qualify for the USDF Regional Championships at Third Level. The pair already qualified for the Second Level Championships earlier this year. Rigo’s score of 67.442% in the Third Level Test 3 is respectable considering it was only his third time at Third Level.

Shawna and the team garnered more big scores at Dressage at FENCE in Tryon, NC April 26-27. Shawna and Come On III used the event as fine-tuning for the USEF National Intermediare I Championships in late June. Saturday’s 73.5% in the Prix St. Georges indicated that they are definitely on the right track. Shawna and Come On III followed this up with an exceptional 75.75% on Sunday in the Intermediare I. These scores should bolster Come On III’s top ranking in the USDF Horse of the Year standings.

Shawna and Tonya Rowe’s Rigo had a solid debut at Third Level. The 7-year old Hanoverian gelding competed in the Third Level test 3 both days with scores of 68.605% and 67.209%. This will be one of Rigo’s two qualifying scores for the USDF Regional Championships at Third Level (he is already qualified at Second Level). Rigo needs only one more score at Second Level to achieve a very high ranking in the USDF Horse of the Year standings.

Shawna and Come On III’s dominant Wellington season combined with strong showings at the 2007 USDF Region 3 Championships propelled them to the top spots in several USDF National standings. Currently, they are first in the following seven standings:

Tonya Rowe’s Rigo needs one more score at 2nd level to be eligible for the USDF awards standings at second level. Rigo has 7 of the required 8 scores so far with a median score of 71.352%. Currently, the top ranked horse at second level has a median score of 65.740%.

Shawna and Come On III won the Prix St. Georges class at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II on Saturday with a 71.500%. The win completed their successful quest to win the Wellington Classic Challenge of Champions and the $5,000 prize presented by Wellington Asset Management. The pair needed to win all three Prix St. Georges classes at all three Challenge of Champions events.

Saturday morning’s ride followed a massive rainstorm that ushered in a windy cold front. The staff at the Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian center did an incredible job to make the arena dry enough to be rideable, but they could not control the 25 mph gusty wind. Their score under these challenging conditions was impressive and good enough to secure the top spot in the class with ease.

Saturday’s win caps a season that could arguably be called one of the best “small tour” seasons in the history of Wellington dressage. They finished first or tied for first in 11 of the 12 classes they entered (including 5 CDI’s). 9 of their 12 scores were in the 70’s with an average score of 71.333% in front of mostly FEI “O” and “I” judges. Their scores were good enough to secure first place in the USEF National Intermediare I Rankings for a majority of the season.

Shawna, Come On III and the rest of the team head back to Aiken, SC in two weeks comfortable with the fact that the season’s goals were met and exceeded. Come On III should have the scores to qualify for the USEF National Intermediare I Championships in June. Tonya Rowe’s Rigo not only qualified for the USDF Region 3 Championships at Second Level, but also looks strong enough to finish well in the USDF Dressage Horse of the Year rankings. Come On III’s scores also look very strong for the end-of-the-year rankings in his divisions.

Video of Saturday’s winning ride (as well as most of her rides this Wellington season) are available on her events page.

Shawna and Come On III continued their impressive 2008 Wellington season with two more wins this weekend at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby. The pair won the Prix St. Georges on Friday with a 68.050%. Saturday’s third place hiccup in the Intermediare I was a timely wake-up call because it spurred them to a superb 73.750% under incredibly difficult weather conditions in the Intermediare I Freestyle on Sunday.

Sunday was a flag-flapping windy day with gusts over 20 miles per hour. The wind was giving the horses plenty of opportunity to spook all day long. Shawna was able to manage Come On III through these difficult conditions and pull out a great score. Their performance in such conditions is more valuable mileage for when they must compete in big, distracting environments on a regular basis.

The weekend’s wins are Shawna and Come On III’s 6th and 7th at a CDI. It is also their 10th first place finish (including two ties) in 11 starts this season. They will compete again next weekend in the Prix St. Georges at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II, the third and final leg of the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge Series.

Shawna and Come On III continued their “Wellington Winning Streak” the last two weekends at Cosequin Wellington Dressage and the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge. On February 8-9, Shawna and Come On III won both the Prix St. Georges and the Intermediare I with scores of 72.5% in each class. The Prix St. Georges was a tie for first place while the Intermediare I was an outright win.

On February 16, Shawna and Come On III won the Prix St. Georges at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge with a 71%. This was the second leg of the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge Series. With wins in the first two legs of the series, Shawna and Come On III are poised to claim the bonus prize for winning all three events in the series. The final event is March 8.

Shawna and Tonya Rowe’s Rigo had a very successful event at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge with wins in both of their second level classes. On Saturday, they won the Second Level Test 3 with a 72.093% and on Sunday they won the Second Level Test 4 with a 74.048%.

Two other horses had great non-competitive show experiences at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge. Shawna’s own Contreau, a 5-year old Danish Warmblood gelding, had his first show experience ever. He enjoyed a nice hack around the showgrounds and handled his first experience with class. Kathleen Broughan’s licensed stallion, with plenty of show experience in Europe, attended his first event in the United States. Shawna took him through a workout in a busy warmup arena where he behaved like the seasoned competitor that he is. Many people had positive things to say about both horses.

The next event will be for Come On III at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby (CDI) on February 29-March 2.